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The story breaking in the past
day or so about Garmin's planned purchase of UPS/Apollo reminds me of another
story. Some years ago there was a very nice CADD package on the market
called Generic CADD. It did about everything you would would want from a
CADD program at that time, and was what you would call a full-featured piece of
software. The best part was that for years it sold for the grand total of
$99.00. Yup, ninety-nine bucks! Well, all the rights to Generic CADD
were bought by a company called AutoDesk, the publishers of AutoCADD
software. At that time, an AutoCADD software package sold for prices
ranging all over the place, depending on add-ons, site license agreements, and
so on, but it was generally from $500 to over $2600 a pop, near as I can
recall. Within a short time of being purchased by AutoDesk
-- surprise! -- Generic CADD disappeared.
I hope this isn't going to
happen with Garmin and UPSAT, but why else would Garmin buy them out? In
my opinion, UPSAT make better products for less money. My prediction is
that within a short time after the purchase, UPSAT products will quiety fade
away, while Garmin's prices go up some more. Any time a major competitor
disappears, it's the customers' loss. The UPSAT radios are the best
I've ever used, and I was planning to shop for another panel full of 'em at
Oshkosh later in the week (for my new Legacy). Now, I'm not so
sure....
Jim Cameron
Medina, Texas
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